We're not here for that

[happynurse49]

Today while in clinicals I saw a fellow nursing student standing in the hallway outside a patient's room. I asked her what was up and she said, "This patient had an accident and is a mess. The NAC said she would be here in 10 minutes and it's been 15 minutes." I told her that we were allowed to provide that kind of care to any patient on the floor and it didn't have to be our patient. Her response, "We are nursing students, we are not here for that." I was taken aback. I didn't say anything to her and just went into the room, introduced myself, and asked the patient if it would be ok for me to help her. The fellow student came in the room and asked if I wanted some help. I just don't understand. We are students. We are there to learn how to become RN's but we are also there to provide any care that a patient needs that is within our scope of practice. I am wondering if other students feel this way and think they are just at clinicals to do "nursing" things.

[SopranoKris, MSN, RN, NP]

From Day 1, our instructors have impressed upon us that no job is beneath us. We are there to provide complete & total care. As someone mentioned previously, what a great opportunity to do a thorough skin assessment on your patient! While we are there to learn, it doesn't mean we shirk our responsibilities to our patients. If I've done all I need to do with my patient, I always ask the RNs & the techs if there's anything else I can do to help out. It typically means I'm toileting a patient or repositioning, doing vitals, BSGs, etc. But you know what? I end up getting a lot more direct patient care and I feel like I'm making the most of my day.

Put yourself in your patient's shoes: would YOU like to be left sitting in a mess? No one wants to go through that. The quicker you get your patient cleaned up, the better for everyone. Reduce the risk of skin breakdown, and you've helped to alleviate the embarrassment your patient must be feeling. I just don't understand the "it's beneath me" attitude. We are supposed to have compassion for our patients. Treat people the way you want to be treated. It's one thing if the techs are sitting around, not responding to call lights, but if they're tied up with other patients, we have the obligation to go in and do what needs to be done for our patient.

OP, I'm glad you took the initiative to go ahead and help that patient. Good karma comes back around

[isharRN, ASN, RN]

Does she not know that some hospitals don't employ nursing aides? If she gets a job as a nurse in a hospital that doesn't utilize aides then shes in for a surprise. Basic care IS a part of our job and is part of nursing. It's a shame that she just stood there waiting on someone to clean the patient. Obviously she wasn't too busy since she was just standing there. tsk tsk tsk. That really upsets me that some students think nursing is just about passing meds and getting paid. Someone needs a reality check.

I applause you for stepping up to the plate and making that patient feel better :)

[deetrain]

Maybe the classmate wanted the instructor's approval before doing the task or she was scared the pt might fall and she would be blamed for it.

[Compassion_x]

I'm sure she will get a reality check at some point, hopefully soon. Nurses like that are the least liked. Nursing is a team effort. If you're a nurse and you can help, you should!

[IrishErin]

My teachers would have torn a strip off of any students with this attitude! However, it's different where I am from in Canada. I have always done full care on all of my patients in the hospitals. We do not have aides in the hospital, except for a few long term care floors. Nurses are responsible for every aspect of care for all of their patients!

[Cal-Neva]

What a bunch of poop, both literally and figuratively. Good on you for stepping up, helping the patient, and setting an example for your classmate. I graduated with a girl who claimed "I don't do poop." We all laughed and thought to ourselves good luck lasting in a job! My jobs so far have only been primary care, so that nurse would have had quite the surprise to learn it was all her if she walked in my shoes. I actually enjoyed having no CNA (not always, but sometimes). It gave me a better idea of the patient's gait and strength, and it allowed me to better gauge if the patient was ready to go home alone or if they needed assistance upon discharge.

[DosmoRN]

*maybe she was just nervous but she loudly told me in front of her instructor that it was my job to toilet her patient, not hers*

Wish I knew what the nursing instructor had to say.

I was trained many years ago, but any of my instructors would have pulled this student aside and told her that if she wanted to graduate, she'd better change her attitude! And she would quite likely receive a failing grade for this part of her clinicals (or at least she should be told emphatically that her grade could be affected).

It shouldn't take Maslow's Hierarchy to make a nurse realize that the patient who had soiled herself, would probably feel distress as acute as a physical pain...and could even risk falling or injuring herself trying to clean up without help. Would the student nurse like to write an "incident report" on THAT occurrence?

A nurse needs both empathy and common sense, not just a knowledge of her job description.

[sjalv]

I have actually come to realize that clinicals is much more useful for honing assessment and critical thinking skills than 'skills skills'. Also, I absolutely do not hesitate to do the more unpleasant things. My ER rotation was yesterday and the RN and I were preparing to hang a bag of fluids for the patient. The patient had an incontinent-induced BM and soiled her incontinence pad, and subsequently vomited all over the bed and her gown. I immediately went and got a new gown, pad, and sheets and helped get her cleaned up. I can't imagine being hospitalized (this particular patient had renal failure, painful!) and then soiling myself and the healthcare staff acting reluctant to clean me. We are there to provide care, and that encompasses a broad spectrum of responsibilities.

[akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P]

What the OP did was (hopefully) very instructive to the fellow nursing student. I'm in my last Semester of Nursing School and I have to say that I'm most definitely NOT above that stuff. I might gag, make faces, whatever, but I'm not going to stop because the more efficiently that I do the work the more quickly the patient will be made as comfortable as possible.

Sure, I'm almost a Nurse and I'm supposed to be learning delegation, but just because I can delegate a particular task doesn't mean that I have to.

Quite frankly, I don't care if I'm expected to do total care or split duties with other members of the team... as long as I know what is requested/required of me for that particular floor/unit/clinic.

My attitude for a while has been one of "let's do it!" We had a skills day this week and that attitude was in full force!

[Sam J.]

This reminds me of a post somewhere in which a poster asked what type of nursing job is available that doesn't involve 'touching' patients.

[ArrowRN, BSN, RN]

That is all part of "nursing things" job definition. Just wait until she is a rookie RN and the senior nurses make that classmate do all the "dirty work". During clinical I like to stay busy, I help any patient even if I am not "assigned" to them. It not only makes me look good, but helps my school as well show the hospital the good work we do.

Does he/she even realize while they were standing in the hallway a nurse manager or someone who is their future manager may have been watching...you just never know.

[duskyjewel]

Man....this thread brings back unpleasant memories of the telemetry unit where I worked as an aide. All the people who said "those nurses" are the least liked, you're right. If you're "that nurse" you don't want to know what your aides think of you. And if you wonder why it always seems that your vitals, I&Os, weights, etc. are in the computer last...... well, just think about it.

My favorite nurse was the one who was an aide for years and would jump in and do everything. I busted my butt for him and loved working with him. Whatever he asked me to do went to the top of my list.

And then there was the nurse who would spend ten minutes looking for an aide so she could tell them to put Mrs. X on the commode instead of just doing it herself when she was already in the room. By the time we got there, Mrs. X needed a complete bed bath and linen change. I avoided THAT nurse like the plague and my heart would just sink every time I came on shift and saw her there. And can you imagine the humiliation for the poor patient? Just so wrong for any nurse to act like that!